Coupeville Sports

Allie Hanigan delivers a graceful forehand. (John Fisken photos)

Numerous classmates showed up to support Coupeville’s #1 player.

Hanigan goes low for a backhand.

They found the end of the road, but not before a good, long run.

The last Coupeville High School girls’ tennis players standing saw their seasons end Friday with hard-fought losses at day two of the 1A District 1 tourney.

Senior singles sensation Allie Hanigan came within a match of playing for a chance to advance to tri-districts, falling 7-5, 7-6 on her home court to Abbie Steele of Nooksack Valley.

Hanigan placed fourth in her final go-round at districts.

“She had big leads in both sets but was unable to convert,” Coupeville coach Ken Stange said. “She had a heckuva year, though!”

Down the road in Langley, the duo of Jacki Ginnings and Wynter Thorne also claimed fourth, falling to a team from Blaine 6-3, 6-3 in a loser-out contest. The finish was far better than expected at the start of the tourney.

“They had a pretty impressive tourney, if you take into consideration the fact that they were the eighth-seeded team,” Stange said.

While the girl netters are done, Stange is still on the job, as Ben Etzell and Aaron Curtin qualified for state (May 29-31 in Yakima) as a doubles team back in the fall.

The duo may be doing double duty if CHS also makes it to Yakima (“the Palm Springs of Washington”) for the final four of the state baseball tournament.

Read Full Post »

Wolf seniors Allie Hanigan (left) and Sydney Aparicio stayed cool and calm in the summer-like weather at districts. (Tami Aparicio photo)

Summer came to Whidbey and, one by one, the tennis players melted.

Playing multiple matches over the course of a sunny, increasingly hot day took its toll on a number of netters at Tuesday’s District 1 girls’ tennis tourney in Langley.

But, with proper hydration and bit of grit, all the Coupeville High School netters stayed on their feet.

And now three of the six Wolves who traveled down the Island are still alive and two wins away from advancing on to tri-districts.

Coupeville’s #1 singles player, senior Allie Hanigan, and its #2 doubles duo, Jacki Ginnings and Wynter Thorne, will pick up their rackets again Friday after battling back through the losers brackets.

Hanigan will face Abbie Steele of Nooksack Valley in an 11 AM loser-out match at Coupeville High School. Win and she travels back to Langley to face Alex Henderson of Blaine for second-place in the tournament and a slot at tri-districts.

If she makes the trip down-Island, she’ll join Ginnings and Thorne, who will face a duo from Blaine in a loser-out match in Langley.

If they survive, the Wolf duo face off with Ilsa Dubendorf and Bailey Gochanour of South Whidbey for second-place.

Saskia Dolk of Blaine and South Whidbey’s Amelia Weeks and Tess Radisch won district titles Tuesday and are guaranteed spots at tri-districts in Seattle May 21.

Coupeville’s other players — singles player Maureen Rice and the duo of Sydney Aparicio and Sydney Autio — were eliminated.

Complete results from Tuesday:

Singles:

1st Singles:

Allie Hanigan beat Kendra Warwick (South Whidbey) 6-0, 7-6(12-10)

Hanigan lost to Saskia Dolk (Blaine) 6-1, 6-4

Hanigan beat Yasmin Sarah (Friday Harbor) 6-1, 3-2 (retired)

“Allie showed grace under pressure,” said Wolf coach Ken Stange. “That’s been the story of her tennis career at CHS. She wins more often than she loses.”

2nd Singles:

Maureen Rice lost to Colleen Groce (South Whidbey) 6-2, 6-2

Doubles:

1st Doubles:

Sydney Aparicio/Sydney Autio lost to Maddy Marinkovic/Ashton Simmons(Friday Harbor) 7-5, 6-3

Aparicio/Autio lost to Lily Olason/Gretchen Kordas (Blaine) 7-6(7-1), 6-1

“They (Sydney Squared) had a brutal draw, but they made their opponents earn each and every point,” Stange said.

2nd Doubles:

Wynter Thorne/Jacki Ginnings lost to Amelia Weeks/Tess Radisch (South Whidbey) 6-2, 6-0

Thorne/Ginnings beat Morgan Anderson/Kendall Calvert (Friday Harbor) 6-3, 6-3

Thorne/Ginnings beat Marinkovic/Timmons 6-7(4-7), 6-4, 6-0

Watching his #2 doubles team come back and take down a highly-favored Friday Harbor duo in their third match made Stange’s day.

“This match was a gut check. It was some of the best tennis either of them has ever played,” Stange said. “They cruised in the final set, even though both of them were exhausted from playing six sets already.

“I’m very proud of their effort. They deserved the win!”

Read Full Post »